In an historic move that portends the ouster of one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, a House ethics panel on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The recommendation comes after House investigators who conducted a months-long ethics probe into Paxton found he abused his office and broke the law to help a campaign donor. …

Paxton, 60, already is gearing up for a blow-out fight. An agency attorney stormed into the committee room on Thursday, demanding to be heard as a witness and calling the impeachment proceedings “illegal.”

[It’s worth noting that Paxton’s fellow Republicans have full control of both chambers. I presume that the state legislature, like Congress does, sets its own rules in ethics probes and impeachment proceedings. Paxton’s been a controversial figure for years both inside and outside of Texas, and he apparently doesn’t have too many allies left. He already has an indictment for felony securities fraud from ten years ago that’s still not resolved, as the DMN reminds us. I suspect that his attack on the GOP’s House speaker last week probably was the last straw. — Ed]